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Astellas Executive Joins Americares Board of Directors

Stamford, Conn. – Jan. 22, 2020 – Americares, the health-focused relief and development organization, is pleased to announce the election of Astellas Pharma U.S. President Percival Barretto-Ko to its Board of Directors. Barretto-Ko, whose three-year term began Jan. 17, brings to the board extensive experience in the global pharmaceutical industry, including several senior leadership positions in general management, corporate strategy and business development.

“We are thrilled to welcome Percival to our Board of Directors,” said Americares President and CEO Michael J. Nyenhuis. “His global experience in the pharmaceutical industry will provide valuable perspective as we expand our Access to Medicine Program to ensure more families in need have access to the most essential medications.”

The Americares Board of Directors oversees all aspects of the organization’s life-changing health programs including its disaster response work and support for under-resourced hospitals and health clinics worldwide. Americares helps communities prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters, increase access to medicine and medical supplies, improve and expand clinical services, prevent disease and promote good health. Since its founding 40 years ago, Americares has provided more than $18 billion in aid to 164 countries, including the United States.

In his current role, Barretto-Ko is responsible for Astellas’ operations across the United States. Astellas is a global pharmaceutical company dedicated to improving the health of people around the world through its focus on bringing innovative medicines to patients and its commitment to making an impact in the communities it serves. Astellas focuses on serving patients’ unmet needs across multiple areas, including oncology, urology, immunology and neuroscience, while also advancing new areas such as cell and gene therapy, ophthalmology and muscle diseases.

Barretto-Ko previously served as Astellas’ senior vice president, head of international, where he led its businesses in more than 20 markets outside of the United States. Barretto-Ko also held prior senior leadership positions at Astellas, overseeing corporate strategy, business development and government affairs. In addition, Barretto-Ko held prominent roles for Astellas in the United Kingdom, including head of EMEA corporate strategy, business development and corporate communications, as well as EMEA head of immunology and transplant.

Prior to joining Astellas, Barretto-Ko held senior-level positions across various therapeutic areas for the Roche Group in the U.S. and U.K.

“I am honored to join the distinguished Americares Board of Directors and to be part of the organization’s mission to help global communities affected by poverty or disaster,” Barretto-Ko said.

Barretto-Ko currently serves on the boards of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) and Chicago United. PhRMA is dedicated to advance policies that ensure continued investment in biopharmaceutical innovation, and Chicago United is an organization committed to achieving parity in economic opportunity for people of color by advancing multiracial leadership in corporate governance, executive level management and business diversity.

A U.K. citizen and a native of the Philippines, Barretto-Ko earned a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences with honors from Cornell University, an MBA from Yale University and a master’s degree from MIT Sloan School of Management, where he also served as a Sloan Fellow for Innovation and Global Leadership.

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Americares is approved by the Internal Revenue Service as a 501 (C) (3) tax-exempt organization, and all donations are tax deductible to the extent provided by law. Americares Federal Identification Number (EIN) is 061008595. Member of Reuters Alertnet.